[Ibadan Journal of Sociology, June, 2019, 9 ]
[© 2014-2019 Ibadan Journal of Sociology]87third or fourth is at risk of dying before his/her fifth birthday, yet there are
significant variations by educational levels of mothers. For example,
mothers whose qualifications are less than secondary school are at higher
risk of experiencing under-five deaths than those with secondary school and
above. This finding corroborates other studies (Fayehun, & Omololu, 2011;
Adetoro, & Amoo, 2014; Adedini et al. 2015; Adeolu et al. 2016; Sinha et
al. 2016) that mothers educational attainment is a significant socio-
economic factor on child mortality, which determines to a large extent the
knowledge and appropriation of adequate and beneficial health care
measures in the child and taking advantage of the available health care
services that will mitigate the effects of diseases among under-five children.
The notion that children of mothers in the nexus of poverty who are
not educated are more likely to die before their fifth birthday by
Edomwonyi (2016) could also be observed in this study as depicted by the
household source of drinking water and type of toilet facility in the
household. Those with primary school and limited improved source of water
as well as limited improved facility had higher risk of under-five deaths
compared to those who had basic improved water and toilet facility at both
categories. This suggests that the interaction effects of maternal education
and household environment variables as suggested by Ayinmoro, Fayehun
and Ogunsemoyin (2019) and Bohra et al. (2016) are at play among the
urban poor. In other words, those with basic improved household facilities
are more likely to be educated and even though they are not, they have the
knowledge to mitigate likely hazards that may arise from limited improved
sources of basic household facilities for the survival of under-five children
as compared to those who had attained higher educational level.
CONCLUSION
The number of children who do not live to their fifth year raises a lot of
concern and issues bothering on the level of socioeconomic development of
any country. Leaders and policy makers all over the world continue to
develop various means and strategies to curb this menace and bring it to a
total end. This is why the world leaders have committed a lot of resources to
foster global efforts towards ending under-five deaths in the world by the
year 2030 under the united Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs, UN, 2015). If any significant achievement and success will be
recorded come year 2030, there is need for serious deliberations and
calculated steps to be taken from now to enhance efforts by gathering as
many data as possible in order to have a holistic understanding of the
needed places where resources are to be channeled.
The continuous rise in urbanization also poses a serious challenge
and can make several efforts made towards curbing the further prevalence of